Colgate’s Memorial Chapel was abuzz on October 26 as stu-dents and their families awaited the two a cappella groups of the evening, the Swinging ‘Gates and the Colgate Thirteen.

The talented ladies of the Swinging ‘Gates started off the show. Their set started off with “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B,” an iconic World War II song by the An-drews Sisters. The show then continued with Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide,” with senior Amanda Griffiths as the soloist. In-grid Michaelson’s “Way I Am” was next. Senior Ilona Haidvo-gel took this touching song to new heights with her powerful rendition. Senior Caitlin McCarthy then took the stage with “Leave the Pieces,” originally by the American country duo The Wreckers. “Blackbird,” a classic Beatles favorite for a cap-pella groups, then followed with senior soloist Amelia Tidona. Senior Erika Fritz’s rendition of Jewel’s “Foolish Games” was next. Senior Samantha Weiss then took the stage with New Zealand singer Kimbra’s “Settle Down.” The last song in the ‘Gates’ set was Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s “Our House.” At this point, the ladies on stage invited the rest of the ‘Gates onto the stage for their closing number.

The all-male Colgate Thirteen followed, starting off their set with senior soloist Travis Larrison’s rendition of Alicia Keys’s hit “If I Ain’t Got You.” The Thirteen’s performance then con-tinued with senior James Frankel’s rendition of The Tempta-tions’s “My Girl.” Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel” was next, with senior Kit Norris as the soloist. The Thirteen then paused to explain the origins of their next song, “Delia.” The Thirteen, which was founded 1942, is the third oldest col-legiate a cappella group in the country. “Delia” has been in the Thirteen’s repertoire for about 60 years and, last year, a Colgate alumnus retaught the song to the group. The Thirteen sang this classic song as a unified group, taking the audience back to the ’50s. Senior Hunter Hanson continued the show with Marc Cohn’s signature song “Walking in Memphis.” Bill With-ers’s R&B song, “Just the Two of Us,” followed, with senior Will Centner as the soloist. Senior Joey Petracca then took the stage with Artie and Darrell Glenn’s 1953 classic “Crying in the Chapel.” Zac Brown Band’s “Chicken Fried” followed, with senior Evan Hammond taking over country singer Zac Brown’s warm vocals. The Thirteen then invited the audience to stand and join in as they sang The Colgate Alma Mater. Senior Yuni Sameshima closed the show with the Beatle’s “Hey Jude,” in which Sameshima hit Paul McCartney’s iconic high notes.

In the spirit of the election, the Thirteen also added a comical skit to their performance. Four new members of the Thirteen put on a sketch of a showing of “The Price is Right,” in which Presi-dent Barack Obama, Governor Mitt Romney and Colgate presi-dent Jeffrey Herbst participated in a debate. In the spirit of the presidential race, the group decided that, as an avid knitter and a fan of Cat Fancy Magazine, it was obvious that this election would be a no-brainer if President Herbst were on the ticket.

Contact Elizabeth Marino at [email protected]